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Manning Making Moves: Adds Three To Wake Hoops Staff

WFMY/ Wake Forest
5:38 p.m. EDT April 16, 2014

Head coach Danny Manning in the first half of a men's college basketball game during the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament against the UCLA Bruins at Viejas Arena.(Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)

Woodberry and Ballard will serve as assistant coaches, while Bauman will be the program's Director of Basketball Operations. All three served in the same roles under Manning for the past two seasons at Tulsa, helping the Golden Hurricane win the Conference USA championship and earn the program's first NCAA Tournament bid since 2003.

"I am extremely excited to have Steve, Brett and Justin here on my staff with the Demon Deacons," said Manning. "The four of us go back a good ways. They were all part of my staff at Tulsa, and they have an outstanding feel for the type of program we want to run. They will be valuable assets to our team, the University and the community."

Woodberry is entering his ninth season as an assistant coach after retiring from his professional playing career in 2005. He spent six seasons as an assistant at Missouri State before joining Manning's staff at Tulsa in 2012.

Woodberry was a part of five winning seasons at Missouri State, including three 20-win campaigns and three postseason berths. The Bears played in the NIT twice (2007, 2011) and won the postseason CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2010.

Woodberry, a 1994 Kansas graduate, enjoyed an illustrious playing career for the Jayhawks, winning 110 games from 1990-94. He played on four NCAA Tournament teams and made two Final Four appearances under Jayhawks' head coach Roy Williams. Woodberry's KU career also included three Big Eight Conference regular season titles, one conference tournament championship and one Preseason NIT title.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to compete in the best basketball conference in the country," said Woodberry. "We have a great challenge in front of us, but I'm certain we will be up to the task. Wake Forest has had success here before, and we are looking to build it back to where it was and where it can be."

Ballard spent two seasons as the head basketball coach at Baker (Kan.) University, an NAIA school, before joining Manning's staff at Tulsa in 2012.

Ballard went 33-30 overall at Baker, including a 21-12 mark in his final season at the helm in 2011-12 as the Wildcats earned their first NAIA national tournament berth since 1996.

Prior to his tenure at Baker, Ballard spent seven years on Bill Self's staff at the University of Kansas, his alma mater. He was the director of basketball operations for his final two seasons on staff, and prior to that, he served as the administrative assistant/video coordinator for four years and a volunteer student assistant for one year.

Ballard, a 2003 Kansas graduate, played two years for the Jayhawks under head coach Roy Williams from 2000-02 after transferring from Hutchinson Community College. KU went a combined 59-11 (.843) in his two seasons as a Jayhawk, including a 2001 NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance and a berth in the 2002 NCAA Final Four in Atlanta.

"I'm extremely excited to be here. It's humbling to be a part of this University and in a prestigious basketball conference," said Ballard. "Wake Forest has a great basketball tradition. We are going to build on what has been done here in the past. I'm also excited to be working with Coach Manning again. With his background, he is somebody who is a great mentor and role model not only for me but for our players."

Bauman spent four seasons at the University of San Francisco before joining Manning's Tulsa staff. He served two seasons as the director of basketball operations at USF before being promoted to assistant coach for his final two years with the Dons.

In his two seasons as a full-time assistant coach, San Francisco posted a 39-29 overall record. The Dons went 20-14 record in 2011-12, marking the first 20-win season for the program in 30 years, and played in the postseason CBI tournament.

Prior to his tenure at USF, Bauman spent two seasons as the director of basketball operations at Florida Atlantic University.

A 2004 Kansas graduate, Bauman spent six years with the Jayhawks basketball program, including three years as a student manager under Roy Williams and three seasons as a head manager/student assistant coach under Bill Self.